three times john was concerned for alexander and one time he told him
by fishfingersincustard
Summary: John Laurens works at Starbucks along with his best friend, Hercules Mulligan and his days are the same - until he meets Alexander, a customer who drinks definitely too much coffee and has the brightest smile John has ever seen.


**_A/N:_** **okay, you know what? i kept saying "no, i will not write a fanfiction about founding fathers, no, i will not write fanfiction about founding fathers..."**

 **and then my best friend who's evil asked me for a lams starbucks au and so here's a fanfiction about founding fathers :)**

 **anyways, it's awful, i hope you enjoy it haha**

 _ **i**_

John's days always looked the same - wake up, go to work, serve coffee, smile somewhat falsely at customers and then finish work and go home. It all was always the same way and only original and maybe sometimes funny things were people giving him fake names. He would roll his eyes but then he would laugh a little at some of them. There was this one curly haired guy who asked him to write _Lancelot_ on his coffee, for example, and as "Lancelot" left Starbucks, John was ready for another fake name that was supposed to be funny.

"Alexander" he heard instead of that and he even hesitated for a moment, not sure if he got it right. He cleared his throat and then wrote the name on en empty cup. And then he looked a little bit curiously at this person who gave him what he assumed was his real name, and who ordered a triple espresso (how the hell was he even alive?). He was a young man, maybe around John's age, with dark hair tied in a small ponytail and quite visible dark circles under his eyes. As soon as he sat down, he took out a book out of his backpack and started reading - he was probably a student, just like John.

"Laurens? You forgot to write the order!" John heard suddenly Hercules Mulligan, his best friend and also co-worker say and realized that, as Herc just said, he completely forgot about it, too busy thinking about who ordered it.

"Did I?" he asked, trying to sound surprised "Anyway, triple espresso. I don't know how he's even alive either" he shrugged before Mulligan noticed it himself.

He couldn't help looking again at Alexander - he was still studying, focused completely and Laurens was really grateful for this, since he had no idea what he'd do if Alexander noticed him staring.

"Hey, maybe you want to give this coffee to him, huh?" Mulligan asked, a small smile on his face, which he wasn't able to hide.

"What? Why would I-" John started explaining himself but Hercules interrupted him.

"I have to do something, just remembered" he handed John finished coffee and disappeared somewhere, leaving John unsure of what to do next.

Well, he _knew_ what he had to do next - it was his job, after all - but for some reason understanding it took him quite long.

"Uhm, triple espresso for Alexander?" he called out, a bit too loud as he realized after a second. Alexander got up from his seat, still holding a textbook, not even stopping reading and took his coffee from John.

Before he went back to where he was sitting, to John's surprise, he smiled at him.

 _Say something_ , John's mind panicked but it was too late. Why was he behaving like this, awkward? John wasn't awkward and suddenly he was.

Maybe he was just tired - yeah, that was it, he had an important exam in a week. It all had nothing to do with this dark-eyed stranger who had the weirdest order and beautiful smile.

Out of corner of his eye, John noticed Mulligan smile smugly and shake his head with disappointment at the same time.

 _ **ii**_

It wasn't Alexander's last visit at Starbucks where John Laurens worked. He returned the next day and the day after that and he suddenly became a regular, always asking for the same thing. John still couldn't understand how Alexander could be still alive, really, but he never asked questions. He never talked to him, for that matter, other than ask him for his order and then exchange a smile with him when he would take his coffee. Somehow it was always John who handed Alexander what he ordered - Mulligan always suddenly remembered that he had something extremely important to do.

Then, one day he showed up in the afternoon. Not instead of morning. In the afternoon too. And he asked for the same thing.

How could one drink _two_ triple espressos in one day and not have a heart attack?

He shouldn't pry, really. It was Alexander's personal life and if he wanted to drink this much coffee, then so be it.

"If he has a heart attack, you're the one who we'll send to help him, just saying" Mulligan muttered but loud enough for Laurens to hear, causing him to roll his eyes.

He tried to shake that feeling off but he was still a bit worried. Alexander seemed perfectly fine, though, still studying and Laurens started wondering what he was studying. It had to be one of those things that make you think of ambitious people who would never find themselves working at Starbucks.

"Hey, John, it's ready! I-"

"Yeah, I know, you have to go" Laurens raised his eyebrows and shook his head but took coffee from Mulligan. "Triple espresso for Alexander!"

Like always, he didn't have to wait too long for him to show up, this time not with a book in his hands which surprised John a lot.

"Thank you!" Alexander said, his smile a bit wider than usually - or was it just Laurens' imagination?)

Before John answered, Alexander was back on his seat and it was now that Laurens realized two things.

One - that was the first time Alexander said something, not just smiled and two - John Laurens had a crush on a guy who he didn't even know.

Good job, John, really.

 ** _iii_**

Laurens wasn't jealous. He wasn't, really.

He also wasn't staring with narrowed eyes and eyebrows drown together at Alexander, this time accompanied by a young, pretty girl with long dark hair who ordered a chai latte and, if it was her real name that Laurens wrote on her cup, then whose name was Eliza.

He wasn't.

John really tried to focus on taking an order from "Lancelot" who showed up right after Alexander but instead of this, he kept looking in different direction, where Eliza and Alexander were both laughing loudly at something he just said.

"Laurens!" Mulligan called out and this time he didn't even bother making an excuse - he just handed coffee to Laurens.

No, wrong. Two coffees.

"Triple espresso for Alexander and uh, chai latte for Eliza" why did he hesitate? Oh no, did he sound jealous? He couldn't sound jealous, he had no reason to.

Alexander showed up even faster than usually and grabbed both coffees. Eliza was lucky, really, since up close he looked even better than previously.

"Thank you, John" he said and Laurens blinked repeatedly "I heard your friend earlier" Alexander explained, shrugging, sent John his charming smile, eyes glistening and with both coffees, went back to Eliza.

"What?" Laurens asked, not even caring if anyone could hear it. He wasn't sure what'd just happened.

When he turned around, Mulligan was there, grinning at him but saying nothing about the situation.

"Stop being lazy, please. There are customers waiting!" he said instead and John didn't even have time to remind Herc that he could take orders as well.

He really couldn't focus and still kept on looking at two of his customers, still talking and laughing.

If someone asked him what he felt when Eliza left the building and Alexander told her to "have fun on her date", he would tell them he didn't care at all.

If someone asked him if he kept thinking of a certain dark-haired customer of his who kept on ordering too much coffee, he would deny it.

 _ **\+ iv**_

Alex was here again and Laurens was wondering if it was even okay for him to call Alexander "Alex", even if it was just in his head. Something was wrong with the coffee machine and somehow it was more stressful for Laurens than the exam he was supposed to have the next day.

Finally, coffee was ready.

"Triple espresso for Alex... ander!" he almost shouted the rest of his name, realizing his mistake.

 _Get it together, John, you don't even know him!_

"Thanks, John!" Alexander said, using Laurens' name again and John felt his heart doing something weird.

No. That was it - he was going to do something, say something.

"Hey, uhm, Alexander" he managed to say, before he went back to where he was sitting.

"Yes?" he turned around quickly and if John didn't know any better, he'd think he was actually waiting for him to say something. Maybe even this whole time.

But it was impossible, was it?

"We never really introduced, I mean-"

"I'm Alexander Hamilton." he said, smiling at John widely and for some reason also quite smugly, like he just won something.

"John Laurens. Can I ask you a question?" John felt like the words just magically came out of his mouth and he had nothing to do with it.

Alexander raised his eyebrows, waiting for the question.

"You always take triple espresso. How are you even still alive?" John blurted out and Alexander was silent for half a second which lasted at least five minutes.

And then he laughed and shook his head and that was the most wonderful laugh Laurens had ever heard.

"Yeah, I get this question a lot. But well, I got used to it. I study a lot and so I really need lots of coffee. You know, law."

"Oh, that explains a lot!" John admitted "I was actually really concerned, you know?"

Oh, why did he just say this? He definitely just made an idiot out of himself.

"Concerned? For me?" Laurens was ready for Alexander making fun of him but instead his smile grew even bigger "That's so nice of you, John, really! But don't worry, as you can see, I'm fine."

John nodded, still not quite believing it - he was now talking to Alexander. Who he had crush on for weeks now. And who was actually for some reason still willing to talk to him.

"Okay" he said simply, laughing nervously and shaking his head. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm probably keeping you from studying, I didn't mean to."

"Hey, don't worry. If it takes me not studying for a moment for us to finally officialy meet, it would have been worth it!" Alexander winked at him and smiled again and John couldn't help but smile too. "And I'd love to talk to you longer but unfortunately there's a million things I haven't done so I gotta go. I'll come back tommorrow, though, for sure!"

And just like that, he was gone and Laurens wasn't sure what to do, really.

"Oh, and John?" he heard Alexander's voice again and jumped, surprised "When you finish your shift, maybe you want to have coffee with me?" he was raising his eyebrows in a different charming smile of his and come on, how could anyone say no to this?

"Of course! Wait, maybe not coffee for you, that's not a good idea." he laughed but he was actually completely serious.

"Oh, tea then, or something!"


End file.
